Farmer Mage

“Apprentice Cal!” Drex tried to sound happy, but the waiver in his voice said otherwise. “What can I do for you today? If it’s about the carts, they are set to arrive in four days.”

… I don’t think I’ve told Drex I’m an Apprentice. It seems the information is public. This could explain the townsfolk’s reaction to me.

“Who told you I’m an Apprentice?” Cal asked.

Drex looked more nervous. “Apprentice Brin addressed you as such… and it’s the gossip of the town. I'm unsure where they heard from, but I ask if you think this is out of line.”

I forgot about that. Ah, well.

Cal remembered how quickly a rumor spread from Lumina, though that was done on purpose. Still, it showed the speed at which news can travel. “It’s the truth, so I guess it doesn’t matter. Anyway, I wanted to speak to you about crop seeds. I need to order some more.”

Drex's face lit up, erasing his previous nerves. “Sunfire Grains, or something else?”

“Depends on the return. Let’s factor in the profit of the red grain variants and see if there’s anything better.”

“Better? Countless crops would be better, but also extremely hard to cultivate. However, with the skill you have shown, I don’t see you dealing with any hardship with them. Give me a moment. I’ll get the catalog!”

Drex rushed off without waiting for a reply. Cal didn’t mind since his excitement brought up his own. Nodding in a minute later, Drex returned with its thick binder filled with papers.

“Let’s see—“ Drex flipped through the binder, “—elemental crops, utility… no, not that. Ah! Exotics! Before I go through these, give me your best guess of how many red variants you can cultivate every harvest.”

Cal considered the yield he had right now and the further improvements that were almost guaranteed for future harvests. He decided to go with a preservative number. “Let’s say around forty-five percent of the seeds I buy will grow into the red variants. Before you ask, the total yield should be over eighty-five percent.”

Drex gave him a long look before muttering something under his breath and going back to the binder. “Each Sunfire Grain seed costs two copper. The barrel is five gold. And with your ridiculous yields, you can expect to sell enough to make one hundred guildmarks from one barrel. After the split with the guild, you’ll be left with fifty.”

The more he spoke, the more Cal felt he should stick to Sunfire Grains. He was practically printing money.

“Sunfire Grains were never meant to be grown like this.” Drex looked up from the binder with thin lips. “Then again, I’m sure the thought of supplying so many resources to a desert crop never occurred to people. For so many red grain variants to be grown, you must be supplying them with miracle water.”

Cal just shrugged, unsure how to answer. Drex technically wasn’t wrong. He had been personally watering the crops since the beginning, and the pond seemed to have the same effects on the crops. He supposed that this was what a high-level [Farmer] was capable of, but they simply didn’t exist in the Celestial Order.

Drex started flipping through the binder again. “Plenty of crops can individually be more profitable than Sunfire grains, but once you consider the sheer quantity, they fail to scratch your current profits.”

Cal was starting to understand just how good he had it with Sunfire Grains. Still, he let Drex try to find a replacement. Who knows, there could be something even better.

Unfortunately, he witnessed Drex’s expression getting uglier by the second.

The binder was snapped shut. “There are some possibilities, but the initial cost and the risk involved make them unsuitable.”

Cal kept in mind that Drex had an incentive to keep him on Sunfire Grains as his main crop. He hadn’t forgotten that the man had a connection with Nismus, but it was still unlikely that he would try to lie to him purely due to his fear.

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He was about to wave off the entire issue and had to Seris’s house but stopped himself at the last moment. Switching his crops might not be the most economical thing to do, but it would undoubtedly be the best for the growth of his [Primary Tier]. ℞�

[Farmer] had been extremely slow with its recent growth relative to the beginning, but planting new crops might just be the boost that it needed.

“Drex, give me samples of the crop seeds that are individually more profitable. I don’t mind the risk.”

Drex hesitated before reopening the binder. “I can order four types for you if you want. The minimum order size makes getting more variety a headache unless you don’t mind the cost.”

“Four is more than enough. What are their names?”

“Some of these technically can’t be considered a crop, but they will grow on your farm all the same. Phoenix Blossom, Moondust Grape, Thunderfruit, and Dragonspine Grass.” Drex looked up after he read out his picks.

Cal had never heard any of these, but he nodded all the same. “Get them for me.”

“They’ll be here in a few weeks… and unlike Sunfire Grains, I’m not sure how you cultivate these. You’ll need to find out how from someone else.”

Cal narrowed his eyes. “This isn’t another way to send me to Nismus, is it?”

“No!” Drex shook his head rapidly. “He might know something about them, but it would be best to ask someone in the guild.”

He hummed in acknowledgment. “I’ll be waiting for them. Glad to do business with you again, Drex.”

Cal left for Seris’s house but was focused on the deal he just made. He wanted to see if Fintan had something different to say. Drex might not be trying to fool him into keeping the Sunfire Grains as his main crop, but it could be possible that the man simply didn’t have access to everything available.

With his family practically owning Lumina, Fintan should be able to give him a more concrete answer with the connections he possessed.

***

Cal couldn’t sense anyone else in the house besides Seris, which was strange since there was an entire group around an hour ago.

He let himself in and approached the bed. He checked Seris’s pulse and tried to estimate where her recovery was by scanning her essential reserves.

Seris should wake soon. At this point, it was purely physical.

Cal brought a chair close to the bed and took a seat. He observed Seris’s face more closely and noticed she looked far more relaxed than the last time he saw her. Though, that could be explained by her having a bad dream.

He looked away and closed his eyes before reaching out with his mana tendrils. It only took him a few seconds to notice Tavia near the town’s exit with all her friends. Tavia’s carriage was standing nearby, and he sensed a few of her friends were already inside.

Cal opened his eyes with a frown. He didn’t expect them to part so quickly.

I wonder if it's similar to what happened between me and Oleg.

He considered snooping in to see if he could glimpse something from their movements but quickly ruled it out. If Tavia wanted him to know, she would tell him. Besides, she gave him privacy with Oleg; the least he could do was return the favor.

Cal spread his mana tendrils again; this time, he focused on exceeding the coverage from his previous attempt.

He ran into the same issue nearly an hour later. There was too much of an influx of information to make any sense of it. His progress was slow in blocking out everything unnecessary, but still, there was progress.

Cal started to succeed in blocking out the movements of the mortals when he sensed that Tavia was close to Seris’s house. He continued to work on the nascent spell until she entered the house. He opened his eyes to see surprise flash across her face.

“Cal!” Tavia beamed. “My friends just left. You actually brought them back! Though, some of them were mistreated on the way back. Could you believe a few of them wanted to stay with the Dominion? They were actually angry at me before the others calmed them down.”

“The Dominion was promising them miracles. It seems there are still some believers. At least, now you don’t have to think about rushing to the Dominion,” Cal tried to act casual, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his lips.

Tavia closed the door behind her and approached him slowly. “So... does this mean it's safe to return to the farm? Seris would probably recover faster there.” At Cal’s confusion, she said, “I noticed something over the past few days. My progress has been far slower when I practice my spells ever since I left the farm. I think there’s something special there that helps.”

The image of the pond flashed through Cal’s mind. Tavia’s suspicion could very well be true. If that was the case, Seris could be truly helped if she moved to the farm.

“It’s safe to go back,” Cal confirmed. He paused before correcting himself. “Well, as safe as it could be with a Frostguard Dominion Apprentice occasionally visiting.”

Tavia had a look of distaste, but she accepted it. “I won’t be scared off because of some savage.”

Cal stood and put the chair back before standing beside Tavia, staring down at Seris. “Are you going to carry her back to the farm, or should I?”

“Let’s decide when Nibbles gets back,” Tavia said.

He shot her a confused look, not sure why the presence of Nibbles was needed in deciding who was going to carry Seris. It didn’t really matter, in his opinion. The question was more of a courtesy since Tavia had stayed by Seris for the past few days.

“Hey, Cal?”

“Wh—" Cal’s eyes grew wide. Her lips caught his when he turned—soft, deliberate, and utterly disarming. He kissed her back.

When Tavia pulled back, a mischievous smile played on her face. "I couldn’t wait any longer. And you can carry her."